Annual. Culms up to over 7 ft. high, simple, rooting from the lowest nodes, rather slender, glabrous. Leaf-sheaths terete, the lowest loose, the others tight, more or less hirsute from tubercles or more often glabrous, slightly striate; ligules up to over 1/2 lin. long, firmly scarious, rounded; blades linear, tapering to a long fine point, gradually narrowed to the base, which is hardly narrower than the mouth of the sheath, up to 1 ft. long and almost 4 lin. wide, flat, appressedly pubescent on both sides, the larger hairs springing from minute tubercles, midrib somewhat stout downwards, rounded on the back, whitish, lateral nerves 3–4 on each side, fine, margins spinulously ciliate. Panicle linear, up to 6 in. by 1/2– 3/4 in., erect; rhachis angular upwards, ciliate on the angles; branches solitary or 2-nate, simple, suberect, up to 2 in. long, angular, ciliate; pedicels 2– 1/4 lin. long, thickened at the tips, ciliate, upper cilia up to 1/2 lin. long, fulvous. Spikelets oblong, 3 lin. long, dark brown, somewhat glossy, densely and brightly fulvous-pubescent. Glumes coriaceous, lower minutely truncate, finely 7–9-nerved, the nerves only visible on the inner side; callus obscure, very shortly bearded; upper very similar. Valve of lower floret oblong, acuminate, almost 2 1/2 lin. long, membranous, hyaline upwards, ciliolate, 2-nerved; of upper floret oblong, shortly 2-lobed, over 1 1/2 lin. long, ciliolate, finely 3-nerved below; awn up to 1 in. long, twisted up to or beyond the middle, flexuous. Valvule rotundate, as long as the lodicules, ciliolate. Lodicules sparingly ciliate. Grain obovate-oblong, very obtuse, 1 3/4 lin. by almost 1 lin., dark brown; embryo-mark very obscure.
